WVU-SCPA

They would chew up my cull tags and the spare TP when the boat was stored adjunct to a field. It's now in a mouse free home and the TP can sleep easy.

The last couple years I find myself always having some type of swimbait on a flashy swimmer. Allows me to change depths, speed, and cadence without changing out a lure. I'm a real sucker for a good chatterbait bite, wish the fish always were too.

Depending on the time frame of your trip I'll give some suggestions....best one is find one of the saltwater fishing forums for the east coast to read up on. June-September in OCMD is going to be lacking in game fish species that will hit a lure on the ocean side. Water clarity will dictate the chances of connecting on lures. Outside a lucky streak of clearer water, your best chances will be with "live bait". Sea mullet, snapper blues, and croaker will be present. The right spots will hold flounder. Last year the Spanish mackerel made it up to OCMD which isn't the norm, but clear water is key with targeting them with lures. September will bring the chance of red drum and stripers into the fall. OCMD can be a busy beach so don't be afraid to look at other options in the surrounding area. I'm not an expert by any means, so I would google something like "surf fishing forums". I'd link them but not sure on the rules. The site bulldog linked has a lot of useful info throughout.

Be there before daylight. Leave when they stop feeding.

17 years ago I had some outings I hope to match again another time in life fly fishing for trout. 100+ fish a day when they were dropping in the stream. I don't see why bass wouldn't have the same mentality of reckless abandonment the trout did 17 years ago. Funny thing is they haven't made an appearance in the same locations.......yet.

Ready for some summer tournaments. Hopefully they get back to being easier to get a hold of. Complied over 2 months and 4 stores.

T rigged maxscent creature was on for a good 2 weeks then the threadfins spawned. Keitech on a flashy swimmer was fun at day break for a few days. Have been unsuccessful in forcing a chatterbait bite.

Sounds like someone not fishing the tournament passed them some fish or they had them stored somewhere? Can't fathom walking to weigh in knowing you didn't catch the fish in your bag. Must take a real dirt ball to try and pull it off.

I wouldn't describe them like gulp. They will "dry out" some, shrink, and the scent will reduce once they are left out but they still are usable unlike gulp. I recently went through all my discarded plastic piles since they have been tougher to find. Have still produced plenty of fish after being out of the package for 6 months. The bait with the fish below was out of the packaging for 6 months. Was put back in a fresh pack before use.

I started with the labeled boxes for various weights when I first got bit by the bass bug. While I enjoyed doing it, time could have been better spent on more productive things. If I think I need to go lighter or heavier now I pick one in the direction I want to go. The bass doesn't know it accidentally ate a 5/16 oz jig when it was really was in the mood for a 3/8 oz.

In the pile of fishing gifts from non fisherman is a cloud 9 magnum squarebill. Yet to unbox it but supposed to dive to 10', however the thing is an absolute unit. https://6thsensefishing.com/collections/cloud-9-magnum-squarebill

The lake between the house and work is closed from 9pm-5am. I show up at 5 and make it to work by 7 about 2 days a week. If the boat is going I'd prefer to fishing in the twilight hours.

The only thing I throw that I wouldn't typically do on a sunny day is the switch to the bilge pump. Maybe tend to pickup moving baits over finesse if its really coming down.

Only use them on one highly pressured super clear lake during the summer. After the early morning bite, any decent sized fish has moved to 15'+ of water. Using a maxscent creature or lunch worm and dragging as much structure in the 12'-22' as possible is about the only consistent bite I've been able to find after 9:00 am. Best of luck finding a decent supply of them right now.

Already surrounded by electric or motor restricted lakes. The technology is already coming around....get to see it on a weekly basis.

I would hit up the warm water by the poop plant under the star city bridge and chase carp with the fly rod all winter. I'm sure other species stack up there but I was more into chasing trout with the fly rod at the time.

I'll raise you a Candy Darter. Most of my fishing has been east of the Mississippi river system so the list is larger. My biggest would be a bowfin. Have one local lake that has them but have yet to make it happen.

In my younger days I used to plan short trips around summer thunderstorms when chasing trout with the fly rod. The pre and post storm bite was an exciting time. One evening I was in the prime time of wind picking up and fish slurping when Sycamore decided to come down. The outer branches hit my Fenwick and the wall of water that hit me left me drenched. Glad to have grown past those days.

Been fun to watch the hype of the max scent stuff grow. A random walmart purchase of the creature bait in the spring of 2018 lead me to purchasing the entire line after 1 outing. There have been some days where I believe you can't make a wrong choice with it.

+1 to this. I like the example of fly fishing for trout. Two people fishing the same fly, same cast, to the same fish, and two completely different results can occur. It's the 100's of split second changes or nuisances that could trigger a strike or refusal.

Only membership trout streams around me. There are several "gated community" lakes within the area. No fee to fish, just required to be with someone that is in the HOA and any boat has to be registered there. Makes them a little tough to get on as you need to know someone that lives there + has a boat registered. One of my childhood fishing buddies had his grandmother claim us for summer residence one year so we could have free rein.

15-30 minutes before blast off I will pull out the items I plan on fishing from their bag, bin, compartment to limit digging during the day. I like doing it then vs the night before as it lets me settle down any excitement and focus on what my game plan is. Have a small box on the deck with the terminal stuff I believe I will use. Prevents digging for things and also limits clutter. Only item I really prerig is trd's. I can lose a lot depending on how I'm fishing them, other is weight and color change.

Had a musky join me on the bank one evening burning around a shad spawn. He went back to the lake with his new lipless, I went home to change my underwear. Yo-yo and stop and go have produced the most fish with lipless. The past 2 years a suspending lipless has accounted for more fish in the spring with any green grass growth being the key.

Don't be discouraged when you get smoked. Everyone has those days. The club/local tournaments will have all ranges of boats, some guys spend lots and some spend less. Goal is to catch fish, it's not a boat show even though some take it that way. Be willing to talk to people and help setup/tear down. Make some friendships and get some knowledge from some usually skilled anglers. If you are competitive like you say, you will become addicted. After my first tournament I went in hard for the next 2 years. Skipped a wedding or 2 and missed some things I shouldn't have, just remember there will always be another tournament. Only 16.5 sleeps away from the first tournament of 2021 for me, usually only get an hour or 2 in the night before.

Stop.....hammer time. Jealous